Nutcracker



Jan. 14, 1930.

R. CNGOODELL NUT CRAGKER Filed OG't. l, 1927 ,2 11. ife afar H.C. Goodall f77/7M u www Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNrrfEn STATES RICHARD C. GOODELL, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA NUTCRACKER Application filed October 1, 1927. Serial No. 223,379.

My invention relates to a nut cracker.

It is an object of this invention to provide a very simple nut cracker construction, inexpensive of manufacture, which is instantly adjustable to dierent sizes of nuts to be cracked, and which while exerting great pressure in cracking the shell of the nut will merely crack the shell without crushing the kernel.

Another object of my invention is to provide a nut cracker consisting of an upright integral with a supportwhich may be temporarily secured to a table or the like. The upright is provided with a series of vertically arranged apertures for selectively receiving the fulcrum of a lever which operates a nut cracking plate which is slidably mounted on the upright.

My invention consists of the construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification, I have illustrated by way of example an embodiment of my invention and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my nut cracker, with parts broken away to show the interior construction in position for cracking,

a nut.

Figure 2 is a similar view just after the nut cracking operation.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of the nut cracker.

Figure 4 is a detail view of the lever.

Referring tothe drawings, T indicates a portion of a table or the like to which the nut cracker is clamped. The nut cracker consists of a vertical upright 10 made of a strip of metal which is integral with a horizontal nut receiving plate 11, at the outer end of which is a vertical plate 12 which is bent inwardly at 13 and in which latter a clamping screw 14 is disposed whereby the nut cracker may be clamped to the table T.

The upright 10 is preferably concavo-convex in horizontal cross section and is provided with a series of apertures 15 vertically arranged along its median line for selectively receiving the reduced outer end 16 of a lever 16 of the second order. The lever is provided with a handle 17. A movable nut I cracking plate 18 is arranged parallel tothe nut supporting plate 11. The nut cracking plate 18 is made of a sheet of metal which isl bent upon itself as at 18 to aEord a double 55 thickness. Y

The nut cracking plate 18' is, on its inner end, bent upwardly to form a nut cracklng plate operating member 19, U shaped in horizontal cross section, provided at opposite sides with grooved flanges 19 engaging the The nut n to be cracked, is `placed on the nut receiving plate 11 and the cracking plate 18 is allowed to slide downwardly on the upright 10 into engagement with the top of the nut.` During this sliding movement, the

lever 16 is pulled outwardly away from the 75 upright 10 to enable the cracking plate to slide freely. When the cracking plate 18 is in engagement with the top of the nut, the lever 16 is pressed toward the upright 10 and Aits blunt or rounded end 16 is inserted in the 80 Vnext lower aperture 15. The lever is then swung downwardly from the full line position shown in Figure 3 to the dotted line positionrshown in this figure, and as it is swung through this movement, it will force the cracking plate 18to crack the shell of the nut.- As soon as the lever 16 is swung downwardly some distance below a horizontal position, by virtue of the factl that it has a rounded blunt end 16, this end, because of UHU the natural movement of the operators hand, will slide out of the aperture 15, allowing the lever to be swung into engagement with the outer edge 18 of the cracking plate 18. As Y soon as the lever strikes the edge 18 it tends to Vcause the cracking plate 18 to tilt relatively to the support or upright 10.V The tilting movement of the cracking plate which is veryv slight, is suflicient to cause it to bind `on ,the upright 10 so that it will Ynot slidev iuo the nut is being cracked by the cracking plate.

Various changes may be made in the construction and combinationofsparts-,by those skilled in the artrwithout departing from the spirit of my inventionas claimed.

I claim 1. A-nut cracker comprisingan upright having a concave face provided with a series of lapertures vertically aligned and consti- Y tuting fulcrums, a nut supporting'plate integralwith said: upright,'means for clampingsaid plate to a support, a-nut cracking member includinga slidable member having grooved flanges engaging the lateral edges of said-upright, said slidable member having an aperture, a lever having a reduced end for ing through said aperture, and a stop on said lever tol prevent its withdrawal from said slidable member. 'l Y 2. A nut' cracker comprising an upright provided with" a series of apertures constituting fulcrums, a nutl supporting'plate, a support for said plate, a nut crackingmember including a` slidablepmember engagingthe ltending angularly therefrom, said operating member slidably embracing said upright, and a lever extending loosely through an aperture in said operating member and having a reduced end selectively engageable with saidA fulcrums, said reduced end being automatically releasable from said fulcrumas the lever moves downward, and said lever upon such release being engageable with said plate at a point further fromthe-upright tliansaid operating member.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

RICHARD C. GOODELL.

selectively engaging said fulcrums and pass- Y 'lateral edges of' said upright,saidnslidable r member having an aperture, a lever for selectively engaging with one end of vsaid fulcrums and passing through; said aperture, and astop on said lever to prevent its vWithdrawal from y,

said slidable member.

3.A nut cracker comprising an upright" V'provided with arseriesof apertures constituting fulcrums, a Vnut supporting member,

means for fastening said-upriglit'to a support, anutl cracking member mounted.-l for slidable movement onl said upright and provided with an` aperture, a lever 'passing fr 50 throughsaid apertureand adapted to selectivelyA engage said' fulcrums, and a stop on said lever to prev ent its withdrawal from said nut cracking member.`

4. A nut cracker comprising an upright provided with. a series of apertures consti- V tuting -fulcrums,fa nut cracking member t mountedfor'slidable rmovementV on said upi-V right, and aV lever loosely supporting intermediate its endssa-i'd nut cracking member and adapted t'o selectively engage saidfulcrum's'. e Y Y K 5. A'nut cracker comprisingl an upri ht having a series of apertures constituting ulcrums, a nutcracking member `comprising an operating 1member-and a-- cracking plate ex- 

